California continues illegal cannabis crackdown, seizing more than 63,000 pounds of illegal cannabis in three months

Images from the inside of an illicit indoor cultivation site taken during a UCETF operation in Riverside County in April

Other notable operations

Additional state-led operations throughout the quarter uncovered significant indicators of organized criminal activity and environmental crimes across Riverside, Los Angeles, Butte, and Ventura counties.

Among the most significant:

• Riverside County: State and local partners dismantled an illegal indoor cultivation operation, seizing about 1,395 pounds of illicit cannabis products and 2,415 cannabis plants, with an estimated retail value of $2.3 million. Authorities identified hazardous environmental conditions that led local officials to red-tag the structure as well. 

• Los Angeles County: Officers served 12 search warrants, eradicated more than 7,000 cannabis plants, recovered processed cannabis and suspected methamphetamine, and discovered the highly toxic pesticide methamidophos at two cultivation sites.

• Butte County: Officers seized nearly 13,500 cannabis plants, two firearms, and evidence of organized criminal activity while documenting numerous environmental violations. Two arrests were made.

• Ventura County: Following a monthslong investigation, officers executed search warrants at nine locations, recovering nearly 6,000 cannabis plants, processed cannabis, illegal drugs, 17 firearms – including an assault weapon – and more than $205,000 in cash. Fourteen people were arrested.  

Additional partners supported UCETF operations throughout the quarter, including the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, the California National Guard, the Employment Development Department, the Hayward Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and numerous other agencies.

“These continued efforts protect the health and well-being of California’s communities, our economy, and the licensed cannabis market,” said DCC Director Clint Kellum. “We must keep enforcement pressure on illegal operations that pose risks to consumers and undermine the progress of the regulated industry. Through the work of UCETF, California is leading the way in cracking down on the illicit cannabis market, making sure that consumers are safe and the legal cannabis industry remains strong and supported.”

About UCETF 

Governor Gavin Newsom established the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force in 2022 to strengthen coordination among state, local, and federal agencies combating California’s illicit cannabis market. The task force is co-chaired by the Department of Cannabis Control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and coordinated by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. 

Since the task force’s inception in 2022, UCETF-coordinated operations have seized and destroyed more than 841,000 pounds of illicit cannabis (including 1.3 million plants), valued at over $1.3 billion, through more than 750 search warrants across 29 counties. Task force efforts have also led to 100 arrests and the seizure of more than $2.8 million in cash and over 250 firearms.

To learn more about the legal California cannabis market, state licenses, and laws, visit cannabis.ca.gov.

To learn how to recognize and report illegal cannabis cultivation on public lands in California, see CDFW’s fact sheet.